Atwood shooting victim, suspect pleads to meth, weapons possession

Eric Morales will have 3-year DOC cap in open sentencing

Eric Morales might have taken two bullets during the shooting at the Atwood Sinclair Station in August 2012, but the plea he took Wednesday proved he wasn't just the victim.

The 30-year-old, who appeared in Logan County District Court on bond, pleaded guilty to possession of less than two grams of methamphetamine and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.

He took an open sentence with up to three years in prison as a condition of his plea, and could also face fines between $1,000 and $100,000.

Chief District Judge Michael Singer ordered a pre-sentence investigation and screenings for intensive supervised probation and community corrections. If Morales is found eligible he could receive a probation sentence, though Singer reminded Morales that there wasn't a cap on the length of probation he could receive.

Aaccording to the arrest affidavit, Morales was the target in the shooting, which was originally a planned confrontation in which other defendants planned to rob and possibly assault him at the Sinclair Station on Aug. 12.

The confrontation allegedly led to a shootout in which Morales and at least two defendants sustained gunshot wounds. One of those suspects, 25-year-old Jared Sanchez, was paralyzed from the waist down.

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Morales wasn't initially arrested after the shooting, but the District Attorney's Office charged him in late September with two counts of weapons possession by a previous offender, tampering with physical evidence, violation of bail bond conditions, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of a protection order.

He was also facing charges of possession of more than two grams of methamphetamine, less than two ounces of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in a previous case.

The court set Morales's sentencing hearing for May 8 at 10:30 a.m.

He will be the second person charged in the shooting to take a plea after co-defendant 27-year-old Leticia Hernandez, who was sentenced to five years of probation in February for second degree assault and possession of methamphetamine.